POLITICS (*) France’s foreign minister said on Thursday he would head to Libya “very soon” to push warring parties to support a peace roadmap tentatively agreed in Paris in July.

ECONOMY (*) The European Central Bank is likely to announce a reduction of its monthly asset purchases in October, according to a majority of economists in a Reuters poll, who also said they expect the central bank to shut down the programme by the end of next year.

Markit/ADACI releases August PMI manufacturing (0745 GMT)

ISTAT releases final Q2 GDP data (0800 GMT)

August state sector borrowing requirement data.

TELECOM ITALIA

Top shareholder Vivendi reiterated on Thursday it did not have, at present, power over the Italian phone group’s financial and operating policies. It also said its long-term strategy at Telecom Italia was to push for the convergence of telecommunications and contents. (*) The Italian government has decided to postpone the end of its investigation over the growing influence of Vivendi on the phone group to Sept. 19 rather than Sept. 4, Il Sole 24 Ore reported. In the next days there could there could be meetings between the government committee and TIM-Vivendi lawyers, the report added.

BANCA CARIGE

The Italian bank said on Thursday it was on track to meet deadlines for a number of proposed asset sales. Carige said it had received more than 30 expressions of interest for 1.2 billion euros in bad loans and a platform to manage them it has put up for sale. Binding offers are due by early November. (*) Some fifteen investors are interested in the bank’s consumer credit unit Creditis, with Mediobanca in pole position to buy it, La Stampa reported.

FIAT CHRYSLER

Transport Ministry releases August car sales data (1600 GMT).

IPOs

Italian tyremaker Pirelli said on Thursday China’s Marco Polo International, its sole shareholder, would end its “direction and coordination activity” after the company’s planned re-listing on the Milan bourse. (*) TENARIS

The group said on Friday it reported no major damage to its industrial sites in South Texas following hurricane Harvey.

(*) IL SOLE 24 ORE

The publisher said on Thursday its debt was 64.7 million euros at the end of July this year, up from the 50.7 million euros at the end of December 2016.

(*) DADA.MI

Egyptian magnate Naguib Sawiris is considering the sale of the web company, once owned by publisher RCS, and has given mandate to Lazard to do so, Il Sole 24 Ore reported.